Latest Public Sector News

National and devolved politics

21.06.17

Liverpool council CEO re-released on bail as police probe continues

Liverpool City Council CEO Ged Fitzgerald has been re-released on bail until 23 August as police continue their investigation into allegations of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice and intimidate witnesses.

At the time, Liverpool mayor Joe Anderson said the decision made was the right one for the city in order to enable the council to “deliver services without distraction”.

“I have spoken to the chief executive and also to the police about the nature of the investigation and how this impacts upon the council and the city,” he said, adding that Fitzgerald would step down from his duties until investigations are complete.

Fitzgerald was arrested in May, alongside three other men, including the former boss of the council joint venture with BT Liverpool Direct (LDL) David McElhinney, due to financial problems with tendering contracts to BT.

BT had worked with Liverpool council in the past on the LDL partnership, which provided services for the local authority such as HR, payroll and IT and web services. But financial irregularities into the contract for the now-defunct LDL led the police to the arrests in May following a four-year investigation.

A spokesperson for Lancashire Police, which is lead the investigation, told PSE that their investigations are ongoing and that Fitzgerald had been released on bail until 23 August.

Have you got a story to tell? Would you like to become a PSE columnist? If so,click here.

public sector executive tv

last word

Rob Whiteman, CEO at the Chartered Institute of Public Finance (CIPFA), discusses the benefits of long-term preventative investment.
Rising demand, reducing resource – this has been the rmore >more last word articles >

editor's comment

Devolution, restructuring and widespread service reform: from a journalist’s perspective, it’s never been a more exciting time to report on the public sector. That’s why I could not be more thrilled to be taking over the reins at PSE at this key juncture.
There could not be a feature that more perfectly encapsulates this feeling of imminent change than the article James Palmer, mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, has penned for us on p28. In it, he highlights...read more >